EU commissioner says Moria fires ‘a sharp reminder’ of need for change
EU Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas on Friday said that the recent events on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos following the destruction of the Moria migrant camp are “a sharp reminder to all of us for what we need to change in Europe.”
“On migration, the clock has run out on how long we can live in a house half-built, Schinas said, speaking from Lesvos.
He added that the European Commission will unveil proposals for a new pact on migration and asylum on September 30, adding that shouldering the responsibility of managing migrant flows and offering asylum to refugees cannot be limited only to the member-states on the European Union’s external borders or to large players like Germany.
“We need a true solidarity in our migration policy,” Schinas said.
In talks held later in the day with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Schinas said that the EU’s new migration policy seeks to “avert the mistakes of 2016.”
“Europe cannot fail twice on such an important issue,” he said.
